After a failed qualification, Renault expects to experience more difficult moments
The French flag did not fly high in qualifying yesterday in Bahrain: Kevin Magnussen (who will start from the pit lane) and Jolyon Palmer did not make it past Q1. A comeback in the race is nevertheless hoped for.
Beaten by four tenths by Paswal Wehrlein’s Manor, Kevin Magnussen was nevertheless the best of the two Renaults yesterday in qualifying in Bahrain. The Dane didn’t expect much from the session anyway, given that he will have to start from the pits after missing a mandatory weigh-in on Friday: “I only did one qualifying lap during the session because we’re saving our tires for the race,” confirmed Magnussen. “Without the penalty (…), we could have qualified in as good a position as in Melbourne (15th, editor’s note). Looking at our pace, we could achieve a result in the middle of the field.”
Mediocre 20th, Jolyon Palmer also thinks he can climb back onto the track: « Our race pace was much better than our qualifying performances in Melbourne, so normally the same situation happens today, even worse. I’m aiming for a solid race to climb as high as possible. It’s easier to overtake here than in Melbourne, so everything could work out well for us. »
Director of track operations at Lotus, Alan Permane does not hide that the French team is not at the end of its difficulties: « We knew we would face some tough moments this season, given that our project started late (in November, ed.). We have the potential to bounce back in the race. »
